Medina High School - Medinian Yearbook (Medina, OH)

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THE MEDINIAN The Class Prophecy By Fran Averill Once upon a spring day dreary, While I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious problem of the day before, Soon I nodded; Finally napping: I found that Tony Moore and I were launched on an extensive tour. We were traveling East. In Central New York State, our attention was called to a very expem sive and modernly equipped farm, owned and operated by Norman Effinger and Gerald Porter. Our stay in New York City was especially interesting, because we found that so many of our friends were located in the great Metropolis. The night we arrived, we immediately purchased tickets for the opera, “Tosca,” for we had been informed, ahead of time, that Thelma Adams and Eldred Perrin were billed as having leading roles. After the Opera we went to an exclusive night club where we found Irene Wirkner and Helena Weber as proprietors. Among the number of entertainers were the O ' Mar Twins, Tom and Joe Englert, who gave several warm dances. The next morning, about eleven, we visited the studio of John Abbot and Madeleine Palmer, where we found Pearl Smith and Irene Cain posing for the artists. The studio was most exquisitely decorated and, upon inquiry, we found that the work was done by Alice Ecker and Thursa Mersing. In the afternoon we strolled down to the musical studio of Joe Gage and Harold Spahr. On the street we heard a press boy shouting “Extra! Extra! Merle Auble de ' feats Willie Hoppie for Billiard Championship!” That evening we visited some lighter entertainment, the Ziegfield Follies. In the Butterfly Chorus we found Rosella Wyman as Madam Butterfly. Under her direction were Virginia G under, Helen Butdorff, Bea Bowman, Nora Bennett, Marcella Aylard, Lillian Kimmich, Gertrude Gnesser, and Martha Stoyke. The next morning we set sail for Europe on the Leviathan. I went down to radio a message, through Bing Lutz,, Chief Radio Operator on the liner. We had a pleasant trip and, when we were landing, Tony and I saw Helen Cro- foot and Luretta Lutz, boarding the ship for America. We went to London and looked up Irma Nichols and Jeannette Wait, whom we found were securing their degree in English Dramatics, in a private school there. Jeannette told Tony and me a few bits of interesting news; that Miriam Snyder had moved to Scotland and had become a happy housewife; that Helen Hanshue and Elmer Frye were studying to be authors and that Mavis Wilcox was training to swim the English Channel. We went over to Paris by boat and immediately visited the Money Exchange where, to our surprise, we found Bob Rowe, as the head man, and his chief secretary, Irene Jakab. T wenty-Three

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THE MEDINIAN We want to have a glorious youth to look back upon! A good many of the crinv inals today are boys who have been allowed to roam the streets in large cities, boys who have never learned to play and participate in the harmless pastimes of fishing, roaming the woods, and such boyish hobbies which, unknown, shape the characters of men. Stop to think of the many useful things that have been discovered through play. When the Spaniards came to America they found the natives bouncing rubber balls, and that was the forerunner of our modern automobile tires, raincoats, insulators, hard ' ware products, and thousands of other every day conveniences. Rubber is indispensible. Even electricity was discovered in play. Men used to rub amber for the fun they got out of making it pick up straws. And today, what would we do if we did not have this seemingly essential factor? Nothing beautiful ever came into life without some one first “playing” to produce it. In primitive days the people built the rudest houses, made the ugliest clothing, and fashioned their pottery just so it would hold water. Their dishes were of the crudest and most formless type. But after centuries had passed and the life of man slowed up a little, man began to “play” with pottery, to mold it into graceful lines, to shape it into symbolic forms, to decorate it. Their homes began to change from those of the barest necessity to ones of beauty, pleasing to the eye, and containing those luxuries which were not needed but added to their pleasure. Primitive men also used their voices for strictly utilitarian purposes. They cried for help; shrieked in fear; bellowed with rage. But those were only for useful acts. When life eased a little, men began to “play” with their voices. They began to sing: love songs; folk songs; happy songs of the joys of life. They took time and trained their voices, for their own fun and entertainment, to yield the most beautiful harmony possible. Playing is indispensible with children and getting interested in a hobby, as golf, does a lot to improve an older person’s life, to fill it out and make it more complete. It’s not the sport itself which may be so beneficial but the fun gotten out of it and this is the spirit which should be put into every phase of life — living for the fun of it. The best work is always done for fun. Millet, the great French artist, had to paint signs in order to keep from starving. But this was not his best work. His best was produced when he did not have to worry about financial problems. His master ' pieces, “The Angelus” and “The Gleaners,” were not painted to make money but be- cause the artist got sheer pleasure out of creating them. Even so with authors. They may become hackwriters so that they may live, but when their minds are free from worries and they have the leisure, they write something they want to write for the joy of writing it. This was the mood John Bunyan was in when he wrote his famous “Pilgrim’s Progress.” He said afterwards that he did not write it for his neighbors pleasure but to gratify his own soul. But how will our industrial workers get any joy out of their work — repeating some simple motion thousands of times a day? There is no creation of joy in that. Yet if you catch the spirit of the thing, the spirit which lies within yourself and not in any outside circumstances, you will find joy in your labor. It is your work; why not make the most out of it? Make it play! Don’t stop at bringing fun into your work. Bring it into your home! When you see a family where the members all work and never have any recreation, they are not happy, they are not content, they are dissatisfied because there is something lacking, the essential element to remove the cares of existence — playing. The spirit of play is the crown of work, of home, of life itself. There is great satisfaction in life for he who takes it always in a sporting spirit — - for he who is living for the fun of it. Twenty ■ Two

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THE MEDINIAN Bob invited us to lunch with him and, much to our enjoyment, he took us to Elizabeth Reinhart’s French Pastry Shoppe. During lunch he informed us that Esther Lubin was a famous scenario writer in Paris. After lunch we went to visit “The Modiste Shoppe’’ of Florence Mapes and Cecile Shook. The girls were very glad to see us and we had a very interesting talk, of bygone days. We took a run down to Monte Carlo the next morning. We were told that Adelia Arndt had an Oriental Rug Emporium there, wtih Robert Lampson as her foreign buyer. Robert told us to go to the renowned gambling parlors of Monte Carlo. When we reached the place, imagine our astonishment, when we found that Frank Hard, Ernie Pelton, and Frank Simmerman owned and operated the establishment. While walking around the place we came upon Esther Eastwood, sitting at a table with two very distinguished French Counts. We finally told the boys that we must leave and Pelton told us that a transatlantic passenger plane left in an hour, for America. He said that we certainly would be safe because Walter Thomas was pilot ' ing said plane. We took off about 4 o’clock that afternoon and reached Gary, Indfi ana, about 4 o’clock the next morning. We slept for awhile and then went on, by motor. On the road between Gary and Chicago, we passed an Austin with the words on “Chicago or Bust” and, imagine our amusement, when we saw Mary Luella Foskett driving this miniature automobile. We drove a little farther and we saw a traffic cop motion a Cord Cabriolet over to the side of the road. We saw that the motorcycle cop was Claude Edwards and that the driver of the Cord was Eleanor Averill. We caught this snatch of conversation as we rode by. Claude said, “You are pinched for speeding, Lady.” Eleanor replied sweetly, “Pm in a hurry, Officer. You ' ll have to take it up with my attorneys, Woods and Buffington. I’m going to the Army and Navy Football Game.” Eleanor told us to come along so we accepted and were soon flying along when the car began to boil. We stopped at a country schoolhouse for water and, who came out to see what the trouble was, but Curly Gable, the spinster school teacher. We then went on to Chicago to the football game. As we entered the gates we saw four student nurses also entering, Florence Bagger, Geraldine Fulton, Helen Kindig, and Elsie Treman. We went up and spoke to the coaches who were Fred Grim and Garnard Cowb ing and each was equally sure that his team would win. We walked over to the press box. On the way we saw Red Cole and Aunda McCool, sitting in the Stadium, argm ing happily. We went a little farther and came upon George Winters, whom we understood was following in Mr. Claggett’s footsteps. Beside George was another one of our long lost class mates. Virginia Blanchard. When we reached the Press Box we saw Jack Pate, as Chief Reporter, covering the game and Gleason Halliwell, who had turned out to be a second Will Rogers, on the same paper with Jack. The boys had for their secretaries, Helen Christian and Marguerite Dake. Russell Kirk, who had become a famous professional ball player, was also seated in the Press Box. Russell told us that Thelma Moore was the new owner of Tarry Tavern, at Chippewa Lake. — Suddenly there came a tapping, as of some one soundly slapping, Slapping to break off this sonorous snore. Twenty-Four